As Next-Gen Sequencing Gains Traction, Challenges Remain

Few technologies have moved from the research laboratory to the clinical realm with greater speed than next-generation sequencing (NGS), a tool that promises more information and applications with less time and money. And while millions of patients have already benefited from clinical decisions made possible by NGS, a variety of questions remain about how to most effectively deploy in clinical settings what was originally a discovery tool. The opportunities and challenges that NGS poses for the health care system were the topic of a conference held on March 26 in Baltimore by Palmetto GBA (Columbia, S.C.). The one-day summit brought together representatives from industry, research, and the clinical community to discuss the current status, challenges, and potential next steps. Among the first speakers of the day, Paul Billings, M.D., Ph.D., chief medical officer of Life Technologies (Carlsbad, Calif.), began by highlighting the speed, coverage, and versatility of NGS. “Virtually every week in the New England Journal, you see the fruits of its applications,” said Billings, pointing to uses in fields ranging from oncology and inherited disease to public health and transplantation. However, the practical considerations are vast. Among the top priorities, according to Billings and subsequent speakers, are more reliable […]